1st Edition

Stirling Convertor Regenerators

By Mounir B. Ibrahim, Roy C. Tew, Jr. Copyright 2012
    487 Pages 285 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    488 Pages 285 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    Stirling Convertor Regenerators addresses the latest developments and future possibilities in the science and practical application of Stirling engine regenerators and technology. Written by experts in the vanguard of alternative energy, this invaluable resource presents integral scientific details and design concepts associated with Stirling converter regenerators. Content is reinforced with novel insights and remarkable firsthand experience that the authors and their colleagues acquired while working at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and other leading organizations.

    Apply NASA Experience & Experimentation

    Intrigued by its special potential to improve energy generation, NASA has been working on Stirling technology since 1980—first for automotive applications, and later for use in generating auxiliary power during space missions. Now, after three decades of development, the Department of Energy and NASA and its contractors have developed a high-efficiency Stirling radioisotope generator (SRG), and NASA plans to launch such a Stirling engine/alternator for use in deep space.

    With contributions from top experts in their fields, this reference offers a rare insider’s perspective that can greatly benefit engineers, scientists, and even students who are currently working in R&D for Stirling machines, as well as other burgeoning areas of alternative power generation—particularly solar and wind technologies. This book is a significant resource for anyone working on application of porous materials in filters, catalytic convertors, thermal energy storage, electronic cooling, and more.

    Introduction


    Unsteady Flow and Heat Transfer Theory

    Governing Equations

    Nonequilibrium Porous-Media Conservation Equations

    Summary


    Correlations for Steady/Unsteady Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer

    Introduction

    Internal Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer

    External Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer

    Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer in Regenerators

    Summary


    Fundamentals of Operation and Types of Stirling Devices, with Descriptions of Some Sample Devices (Including Power and Cooling Levels)

    Introduction

    Fundamentals of Operation of Stirling Engines, Coolers, and Heat Pumps

    General Structural Configurations of Stirling Engines

    Methods of Getting Power Out of Stirling Engines

    Power Outputs of Some Stirling Engines That Have Been Fabricated and Tested

    Stirling Coolers


    Types of Stirling Engine Regenerators

    Introduction

    Regenerator Envelope (Canister or Volume) Configurations

    Regenerator Porous Material Structures


    Random-Fiber Regenerators—Actual Scale

    Introduction

    NASA/Sunpower Oscillating-Flow Test Rig and Test-Rig Modifications

    Random-Fiber Test Results

    Theoretical Investigations

    Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Simulation for Cylinders in Cross-Flow

    Concluding Remarks and Summary of Experimental Correlations


    Random-Fiber Regenerator—Large Scale

    Introduction

    Major Aspects and Accomplishments of the Large-Scale Regenerator Test Program


    Segmented-Involute-Foil Regenerator—Actual Scale

    Introduction

    Selecting a Microfabricated Regenerator Design

    Manufacturing Processes Considered and Manufacturing Vendor Selection

    Analysis, Assembly, and Oscillating-Flow Rig Testing of the Segmented-Involute-Foil Regenerator

    CFD Results for the Segmented-Involute-Foil Regenerator

    Structural Analysis of Involute Foil Regenerator

    Stirling Engine Involute-Foil Regenerator Results

    Overall Involute-Foil Conclusions and Recommendations for Future Work


    Segmented-Involute-Foil Regenerator—Large-Scale (Experiments, Analysis, and Computational Fluid Dynamics)

    Introduction

    Dynamic Similitude

    Large-Scale Mock-Up Design

    The LSMU Experiments under Unidirectional Flow

    The Jet Penetration Study

    Unsteady Heat-Transfer Measurements


    Mesh Sheets and Other Regenerator Matrices

    Introduction

    Mesh-Sheet Regenerators

    Matt Mitchell’s Etched-Foil Regenerators

    Sandia National Laboratory Flat-Plate Regenerator


    Applications Other Than Stirling Engines

    Introduction

    Use of Porous Material in Combustion Processes

    Use of Porous Materials to Enhance Electronic Cooling

    Use of Porous Materials in Heat Pipes


    Summary and Conclusions


    Future Work

    Developing New Stirling Engine/Coolers

    Developing a New Regenerator Design

    Further Investigations in the Regenerator

    Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Modeling of the Regenerator

    Microfabrication of New Regenerators

     

    Appendices

    Nomenclature

    Biography

    Mounir Ibrahim is professor of mechanical engineering at Cleveland State University (CSU), Ohio. Ibrahim has been involved in research on fluid flow and heat transfer in different areas and applications, including heat transfer in gas turbines, gas turbine combustors, Stirling engines, and Stirling regenerator design using microfacbrication techniques, to name a few. He has more than 35 years of administrative, academic, research, and industrial experience. Ibrahim is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). He has been the chair of the ASME K-14 (Heat Transfer in Gas Turbines) Committee (July 2006 to June 2008). He also chaired the Mechanical Engineering Department at CSU from March 1998 to June 2002. He was a visiting scholar at Oxford University in 2008, and at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, in 2002. He has been awarded more than $5 million externally funded research and has supervised more than 60 masters and doctoral students. He has published more than 100 publications in prestigious journals and conference proceedings. Ibrahim has two patents: "High-Temperature, Non-Catalytic, Infrared Heater," U.S. Patent #6368102 and U.S. Patent #6612835.

    Roy Tew was an analytical research engineer for more than 46 years at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Glenn Research Center. He worked on space-power projects, with particular emphasis on Stirling power-convertor analysis, until his retirement in January 2009. In these areas, he also acted as grant and contract monitor for efforts including research into Stirling thermodynamic loss understanding, Stirling regenerator research and development, and development of Stirling multidimensional modeling codes. While employed at NASA, Tew was an author or coauthor on 29 NASA reports and other published papers. He earned degrees in physics (B.S. from the University of Alabama), engineering science (M.S. from Toledo University, Ohio), and mechanical engineering (Dr.Eng. from Cleveland State University). He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). He was an Ohio Registered Professional Engineer until he let his license expire after retirement. Since retirement, Dr. Tew has been working with Mounir Ibrahim of Cleveland State University to prepare this book. During the fall semester of 2010, he taught a graduate course in energy conversion at Cleveland State University (his first experience in teaching a course). Although retired from NASA Glenn, he currently works there as a Distinguished Research Associate, a part-time, volunteer position.